overcoming agitation

Psalm 119:137–144 NKJV
137 Righteous are You, O Lord, And upright are Your judgments.
138 Your testimonies, which You have commanded, Are righteous and very faithful.
139 My zeal has consumed me, Because my enemies have forgotten Your words.
140 Your word is very pure; Therefore Your servant loves it.
141 I am small and despised, Yet I do not forget Your precepts.
142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is truth.
143 Trouble and anguish have overtaken me, Yet Your commandments are my delights.
144 The righteousness of Your testimonies is everlasting; Give me understanding, and I shall live.

While walking through this psalm with you, a stanza at a time, the psalm itself has been speaking to the needs, thoughts, and feelings of my own soul.  I find that each sentence seems to be addressing the things happening around me (and all of us) and giving me insight, understanding, guidance, and comfort.

I have not ever done much of what I label Application Paraphrases as I have in several blogs lately, but I find that it helps me.  I hope they are helping you.  I am going to do another today.

​However, before I do, I want to issue a warning!  I have such a high regard for the Word of God that I never want to detract from it in the slightest.  A paraphrase is not a translation, and I often warn people about that.

A paraphrase tries to carry the thought with no attempt to use the same word or phrase meanings.  It can be useful for devotional reading or to get the main idea of a passage.  It is not a good tool to use when doing a detailed study of Scripture or in teaching the Word of God.

An Application Paraphrase is simply taking the ideas of a sentence or verse and describing how they are applying in the writer´s life at the time.  An application paraphrase is no substitute for the actual Word of the Lord, nor should it be used like Scripture.

I offer mine only to say here is how the Lord is speaking to me from this portion of Psalm 119 right now.  I think it might be helpful to you because we are sharing a lot of the same experiences at the moment, probably many more than usual.

With this understanding, let me offer my Application Paraphrase of Psalm 119:137-144 as the Spirit speaks to me through it today.

137 – While so much disinformation surrounds me from the media, I am reminded that only the Lord is wholly righteous and only His Word completely right and true.

138 – His commandments and testimonies are righteous altogether and their truths endure through all situations.

139 – I get really agitated by things I see and hear through the media, people speaking authoritatively who obviously know nothing of the Lord because they contradict His perfect Word.

140 – I am glad to be able to come back to the Word of God and read truth!  I love it!

141 – I feel so small and weak and unable to impact what is happening all around me, but I do not forget the power of Your Word.

142 – That word endures forever, and it is always 100% true.

143 – I cannot escape the trouble and despair that is all around me and all of us right now; I must resolve to delight myself in the Lord and in His Word.

​144 – But I am confident that because Your ways are established forever, the truth of Your Word shall guide me to live well.

EMAIL BRO. MIKE